Another lie on another day
by Shadow in Midnight
Summary: Ib lives in a world build upon lies-her sickness, her parents, everything. Along with Garry within the 'other world', Ib learns about true feelings, love and friendship. With her deadly secret slowly consuming her life, she makes a single sacrifice-the single sacrifice which could change their lives forever.


~Disclaimer: I do not own Ib. This idea came from another (Ib) fanfic, but I'm twisting it. I really hope that the author or readers who have read that fanfic flag me or anything. Hope you like it~

"Ib, let's go! You brought the hankerchief, right?" My mother called as I grabbed my satchel with the said item and my medicine stored safely inside. We were going to an art gallery! This was the first time I could go out in 3 years. I've been stuck inside ever since the doctor said that I had 'that'...it was a time to celebrate!

"Coming, mom!" I bounded down the stairs and ended up in a coughing fit. "Now, Ib, I know you're excited, but no need to run!" she sighed as I grinned up at her. "Leave her alone for once; she's been cooped up in this place for a few years now!" My dad patted her on the shoulder before squatting in front of me. "Be careful, and don't be too excited in the museum, ok, Ib?" He said to me with his famous but currently forced wink. Another wink. Another lie.

"Mama, I'll go off first," I asked as my eyed roamed the large museum, all displaying beautiful artworks. She nodded, and I strolled to the 2nd level. Everything suddenly blurred, and I stumbled.

"Hey, are you okay?"

A man caught and asked me worriedly, his violet strands of hair with darker strands sprouting from the middle of his head and strange coat sending warning alarms running through my head. I pushed him away with a slight nod. Mama told me to not talk to strangers. As if reading my mind, he smiled and stretched out his hand. It was large and rough. "I still haven't asked your name. My, that was rude of me! Well, my name's Garry. What's yours?" It was another smile, but it wasn't another lie.

"Ib...my name's Ib."

That was the start of our friendship; although I did think it was going to be short lived. I was never going to be able to go out of that house again, after all. This would be the last, so why is he so happy? Why would he say that we will meet again? My mind struggled to comprehend those words, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of a single, large, long painting which took up the whole hall.

"Fabricated world...? This is actually what I'm living in," I trailed off, staring at the single painting in front of me. The lights went out.

"Papa?! Mama?!"

No response. I was alone, once again.

"Is there anyone here?!" I screamed, only to start coughing once again. A sound eerily similar to blood splattering was heard, and when I looked up, words were splattered messily on the floor.

'COME IB'

I winced. The floor…the room…smelled of that dreaded smell…of…blood. Blood filled my senses as I stared at the words, the blood seemingly reaching out towards me. I turned and ran, my mind reeling and screaming for help, but only the silence of the museum answered. Tears flowed down my face and I screeched to a stop in front of the painting titled 'Abyss of the deep', after the words chased me down here. A single rope was missing, allowing me to just creep in.

"Do I…jump in…?"

The fish inside the water blinked up at me with its single eye, as if agreeing. "I've got nothing to lose anyway…so…" I trailed off, closed my eyes and let the water engulf me, and the last thing I saw was the face of a man, grinning deviously at the sinking me. But somehow…he seemed sad, behind that smile. It was just another lie, wasn't it, that smile?

I opened my eyes and found myself on a staircase, sprawled on the floor. "Nothing good really happens to me, huh?" I chuckled coldly. I pushed myself up, but a pain came stabbing in my chest. Was it already time to take the medication? Or was it just because of the shocks I had earlier? Either way, I wasn't feeling too good, and I needed a break.

Once I was better, I walked along, and found a rose. A beautiful blood red one; one that looked too beautiful to be real. I stroked a single velvet petal as my eyes roamed around the hall. I tried a door.

"It's locked. The staircase is gone, too, so I guess I need to find the key," I sighed, pushing random thoughts of freedom away in my head. There was no way I could be free…could I?

Absorbed in my own thoughts, it took me some time to snap back into my current situation. Before I knew it, I had been attacked by random arms, walking statues, random dolls and even by a mouth and a few paintings, so it wouldn't be strange if I was being chased by a painting…right? The top half of a woman dressed in red, actually, with inhumanely sharp teeth and putrid breath smelling something close to paint thinner.

"Papa…Mama…what the hell did I get myself into?!" I screamed mentally as I fled into another room close by, finally finding a key beneath the nametag of the portrait on the wall.

"Ha…ha…" only my ragged panting filled the once again silent room with sound, only interrupted by the banging and snarling of the painting outside. On the way in, I noticed that 'it', as I would refer to the painting rather than 'she', could not enter doors for one simple reason-the door width was not long enough for the length of the painting. It was quite hilarious, considering that such a twisted gallery, which was twisted and turned right down to the very last detail, would mess up a simple calculation problem. At least it could serve as a point of humor; something to latch on to ensure survival…

The room was filled with bookshelves, and I picked up an interesting book. It was written (and drawn) entirely in crayon; it was surprising that the book itself was not made of crayon, too.

"Carrie Careless and the Galette des Rois…? Isn't a Galette des Rois the game where whoever gets the coin will be a happy person…? I remember…I played this with my family before…before…" I gulped and pushed the thoughts away from my mind, opening the book and nearly dropping it on the floor halfway. "Such a grotesque book…it's disgusting…" shoving it back into the shelf, a small 'click' was heard.

A man moaning was heard. It sounded similar to someone I knew, but…he was already dead. He had died a long time ago…how could he still be here? The room to the left was locked, but peeking through the window*, I saw a woman in blue, very similar to the one in red who was just chasing me plucking petals off a blue rose slowly.

"He loves me…he loves me not…" its' voice drawled out, sending chills down my spine. I have to get that rose…I have to! Without any thought, I rushed into the room and snatched the fragile rose, running with all my might into the next room, where I knew the passageway would be too small for it to enter, with its' large frame.

I finally gathered enough courage to go to the room on the right, where the source of the moaning was. "Hey…are you o-Garry?!" I gasped as I sat him up against a nearby wall.

"Eurgh…eurg-huh? The pain…it's gone!" he shot up and skipped around merrily before noticing me jabbing him with stares. "Er, Ib! What are you doing here?!" he finally stooped down beside me and offered a hand.

I offered a small smile and let him pull me up, dusting specks of dust off my skirt. "I don't know really, I was staring at a painting before all the lights went off…before I knew it, I ended up stuck here," I said with a twinge of amusement. Who knew how long I've been out? Despite almost being killed so many times, this really has been the best day of my life…sadistic, but true. What have I seen at home? Everything, but in a screen. Never have I been running free, or rather from monsters, in this case, but free.

"Let's go, Ib! I'll accompany you since this place is not fit for a child to be alo-eurgh!" he yelled and jumped back, his butt greeting the floor. I stifled a giggle as the painting spit something out from its mouth. "W-well, let's avoid things like that, shan't we, Ib…?" he stammered and gently grasped my hand, pulling me along long hallways and paintings, through and past puzzles, until we met another girl. A blonde with startling blue eyes and a green dress.

"Hello, could you also be from the gallery?"

Garry spoke and I noticed a slight shiver go through the girl. She looked like someone I saw before, or was it just my imagination…? "Yeah, I am. My name's Mary; nice to meet you," she stretched her hand out towards me, blatantly ignoring Garry. It was quite funny, in a sense, since Garry was now gaping at her with his mouth hanging open in a fashion rather similar to an octopus**. He finally recovered from his shock and stretched out a hand towards her, obviously wanting to shake her hand. "My name's Garry, and this is Ib. Nice to meet you, Mary," he started, his hand still held out rather stupidly as Mary grabbed mine and skipped away, pulling me along rather roughly. "Hey-Marry!" Garry yelped as she ran past him, stepping harshly on his foot in the process.

I don't know how long we spent wandering down the halls, getting chased by statues and paintings, and solving goodness knows how many puzzles. After finding a key to a certain doll, I took a look around, and the room was full of stuffed bunnies.

"Wahhh…! They're so cute! I want to pet them! Right, Garry?" I gushed, soft colors of pink and green making the shapes of the bunnies. Fuzzy fur ran underhand, and it has been a long time since I felt so…normal. "I know right, Ib? These are so cute," she smilingly agreed with me and picked one up, stroking it gently. "How…how can these _things _be cute Ib?! These look disgusting!" he yelled, holding out a hand at all the fuzzy stuffed animals. "No, they're rather cute…do you not like bunnies, Garry…?" I whispered softly, tearing up slightly. Again. Another person who calls me a 'freak'. He looked away, angry and embarrassed, and stormed out of the room, leaving the two of us alone.

"Garry…what did I say to make him angry…?" Mary shrugged and lead me around the room, petting the bunnies as we deemed fit. Finally, we went outside and caught up with Garry, who squatted on the ground, shivering. Mary ignored him as usual, and I pulled him along towards the only passage way, finding a painting.

"E-eh? What's that sound…?" I asked, staring at a painting where the rose slowly got bigger and bigger, the soft petals opening, revealing a blooming flower with a morbidly beautiful mouth. Thorns suddenly sprouted from the ground, and I felt a sharp tug on my arm. Mary. She was pulling me away from Garry…

"Ib, Mary, you guys ok?" Garry's voice resounded through the thorns, calming the hyperventilating me. I managed a shaky yes and Mary said nothing, grabbing my hand and walking to the next door. "We'll find what me can and come back, so later, Garry!" The moment we got into the next room, a large scraping sound was heard. A headless statue blocked the door, and did not budge. "Oh well, then we'll have to go on, don't we, Ib?" I nodded, and we set off. We got through puzzles, ran through doors and cheated death, almost at which I took most of my pills. I was soon left with a handful left, and we finally got to the end. We saw Garry, and together, went through a lot. By the time we reached the sketchbook room, I was betting my life on the last pill within the plastic box.

"Ib…this is…Mary, right…?" Garry asked, staring at the life-like painting of Mary within the sketchbook room. I nodded slightly, eyes wandering over the realistic painting. Was it why I felt weird when I first saw Mary…?

"Oh Garryyyy…Ibbbb…where are youuu?" a soft voice swam through the poorly drawn houses, sending shivers down our spines. Garry swore and shoved me behind him as I felt that familiar feeling rushing through my body-I was going to have an attack. Not now, please…! Not at this fatal moment...! I had already finished my last pill!

"Garry! Ib! There you are! I was so worried about you two…now…Ib, step aside. I'll take care of this and then we can leave this place together, okay?" she asked me in a sickly sweet voice as sweat ran down my face, soaking my blouse. It was warm, but at the same time, cold. "Why do you want to do this, Mary?! Why do you bring people into this hell-hole?! Why did you choose us?!" Garry yelled his voice strangely low and pleading.

"Because only 2 people can leave," a simple answer which sent more chills running down my spine. I gingerly checked my satchel to see my rose petals slowly wilting into nothing. They had to settle this soon, or else I will die here.

"But why can't all of us-" "Garry, Mary. You two leave. I'll stay here." I cut Garry's sentence, ignoring the shocked looks they were giving me. "It's okay," I said, eyes glued to the ground, willing the tears to not fall. "It's okay. Mary, you've always wanted to leave this place, right? Garry, you've got your whole future in front of you. It's useless if you don't leave. I have nothing left. Only death. So please…leave," I sniffed slightly as Garry tried to protest.

"But Ib-" "LEAVE NOW!" I shrieked. "I HAVE LUNG CANCER. THE DOCTORS CAN'T SAVE ME; MY FAMILY HATES ME!" I screamed, banishing the wilting rose in their faces. "I'm about to die soon. If I stay here, I can live forever. Please…it's a win-win situation, right? So, I beg of you…leave the museum…"

Mary hardened her heart at the crying girl in front of her. She grimly nodded and dragged an unwilling Garry to the painting which first brought them here. "Let's go, Garry. Let's do this one last thing for Ib, okay?" tears streaked down her cheeks as she pulled her lips into a smile. Casting a last glance at the crying girl, they climbed into the portrait, leaving their friend alone in the museum.

"Please don't forget about me…come back and tell me another lie on another day, okay, Mary, Garry…?"

"H-huh? What was I doing…?" I shook my head and stared at a sculpture of a rose. Walking past a blonde, I unknowingly bumped into her. "Hey, Garry! Watch where you're going!" she snarled, suddenly catching what she said. How did she know my name? "Wait…you're…Mary?! The painting, Mary?!" I squeaked in a half whisper, jumping away from her.

"Seems like it. Ib did sacrifice herself for us, after all…" she nodded grimly, leading me to a single painting in the corner. The frame was like Mary's; only that the subject was different. It was a painting of a young girl, dressed in a white long sleeved blouse with a red tie and a matching knee skirt. A hand covered an eye while the other held 3 roses tied together with a red string-one red, one blue, and one yellow. She was lying in a bed of thorns, but was unscathed. The plate beneath it read: "Another lie on another day".

"She was exposed to many lies and wanted to keep living in them," Mary guessed. Garry could only nod and stare at the picture. Although the painting was depressing in itself, Garry could still see a small smile on the girls' face, comforting him greatly. "Are you happy in there, Ib?" he whispered, a smile overtaking Mary's face. "I'm sure she is. Everyone treated me nicely there; it was kinda fun, but lonely. But I'm sure…she's having a lot of fun as we speak, ne, Ib?" she too, whispered and smiled up at me. I swear Ib smile was a bit larger when we spoke…

"Let's meet up again someday," I calmly told Mary over the rim of my cup of tea. She swung her legs under the table gaily, sipping the sweet liquid she never tried before. "Sure," she replied as I inwardly gasped-she actually responded without that snarky tone! I quickly recovered and tilted my head in the direction on the nearby museum. "Every first Saturday of the month. Is 12 okay for you?" She cast a critical eye over me. "Since when did meeting up become a monthly occasion?" she sneered as I glared at her slightly. "_We're _not meeting up. We're meeting _Ib. _But if you don't want to, I'll meet her myself," I huffed, throwing her a last glare and storming out of the café. "Next month," I heard a small voice behind me. "I'll see you at this café next month. For now, I need to go," she whispered, brushing past me and walking to 'her' parents. They weren't her parents. Ib gave up her parents to Mary, to let Mary live her life as a normal child.

"Ib…won't you come back soon?"

~One month later~

"I'm surprised to see you here on time, Garry," she chuckled, amused. I gave her a small smile and gazed at Ib's portrait, memorizing her pale features, her dark hair, her smooth skin…everything. She was just right in front of me, but the next moment, she was gone. Gone, out of my reach, and never to return.

"You loved her, didn't you."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement. A statement that I did not have to answer. Because I knew…that Ib would be forever watching over me in the gallery, inside the other world.

~End of another lie on another day~

"There is beauty in truth, even if it's painful. Those who lie, twist life so that it looks tasty to the lazy, brilliant to the ignorant, and powerful to the weak. But lies only strengthen our defects. They don't teach anything, help anything, fix anything or cure anything. Nor do they develop one's character, one's mind, one's heart, or one's soul."

~Jose N. Harris

*A/N: Just assume the window has already been broken, cuz I've got no idea in the slightest as to how she got in and past the door since the game has already said that the woman in colors (lol) can't go through doors, only windows.

**A/N: OK, I know. Octopus. But really, good look at octillery from pokemon…I just couldn't help it. Sorry peeps.

~Hey guys, so sorry for the uber long posting and update. Now you guys know what I've been working on; I hope you like it. It really is my longest story ever on the laptop-10 pages. I know it's a sad number, but…yeah. Considering it's a one-shot...it's the longest one-shot then. :3 Anyway, this mainly focuses on the parts I deem important, and the twist is this ending is like forgotten portrait-only that Ib is the portrait in this case. I told a friend, and told her she would hate me after reading this. I think she will. Anyway, hope you liked it! Thanks for reading, and if you've gone this far, please also read my other stories if you're bored lol…kay thanks people~


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